Durbin now serves as the Senate Minority Whip following the
2014 midterm elections, where the Republicans gained a majority in the U.S. Senate and when he won
reelection, beating his Republican opponent,
Jim Oberweis, by a margin of 53.55% to 42.69%.

U.S. House of Representatives

In 1982, Durbin won the Democratic nomination for the now-eliminated 20th congressional district, which included Macon and most of Springfield. He scored a 1,400 vote victory, defeating 22-year incumbent
Paul Findley, a U.S. Navy veteran, whose district lines had been substantially redrawn to remove rural farms and add economically depressed Macon, replacing 35-percent of the voters[3][4] and include more Democrats as part of the
decennialredistricting. Durbin's campaign emphasized unemployment and financial difficulties facing farmers, and told voters that electing him would send "a message to Washington and to President Reagan that our economic policies are not working." Durbin benefited from donations by pro-Israel groups from around the United States, in particular, concentrated support from
AIPAC supporters,[5] that were opposed to Findley's advocacy on behalf of the
Palestine Liberation Organization[6] in the year prior to the election. Durbin was re-elected six times, rarely facing serious opposition, and winning more than 55% of the vote in each election except 1994.[7][8][9]

U.S. Senate

In 1996, Durbin defeated
Pat Quinn to become the Democratic Party's nominee to replace the retiring Democratic incumbent, Senator
Paul Simon, a long-time friend. He faced Republican
State RepresentativeAl Salvi in the November general election. Although the election had been expected to be competitive, Durbin benefited from
Bill Clinton's 18-point win in Illinois that year and was able to capture a 15-point margin over his opponent. He has since been re-elected in 2002, 2008 and 2014, each time by at least 10%.

Leadership

In November 1998, Senate Minority Leader
Tom Daschle appointed Durbin as his Assistant Democratic Whip. Following the
2004 election, Durbin became the
Democratic Whip in the 109th Congress. He became the first senator from Illinois to serve as a Senate Whip since
Everett Dirksen did so in the late 1950s, and the fifth to serve in Senate Leadership.[14] Durbin served as Assistant Minority Leader from 2005 until 2007, when the Democrats became the Majority Party in the Senate. He then assumed the role of Assistant Majority Leader, or Majority Whip.

In addition to his caucus duties, Durbin is Chairman of the Subcommittee on Human Rights and the Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government.[15]

When Majority Leader
Harry Reid faced a difficult re-election fight in 2010, some pundits predicted a possibly heated fight to succeed him between his assistant Durbin and Senator
Chuck Schumer, who is well known for his fund-raising prowess.[18] Reid's re-election victory, however, rendered such speculation moot.

Political positions

Durbin is one of the most
liberal members of Congress. Mother Jones has called him a "top
Senate liberal."[19] His voting record is very similar to the Democratic caucus position, consistent with his leadership position as Whip, which has the duty of persuading senators to follow the party line in their votes.
As a
trial lawyer, Durbin has excellent debating abilities, so much so that majority leader
Harry Reid called him "the best debater" in the U.S. senate.[citation needed]

Abortion

As a congressman, Durbin voted consistently to uphold existing restrictions on abortion or impose new limitations, including supporting a Constitutional amendment that would have nullified Roe v. Wade.[20] He reversed his position in 1989 and has since voted to maintain access to abortion, including support for Medicaid funding of it, and opposition to any limitation he considers a practical or potential encroachment upon Roe.[21] Durbin has maintained that this reversal came about due to personal reflection and his growing awareness of potentially harmful implications of his previous policy with respect to women facing dangerous pregnancies.[22] While visiting a home for abused children in
Quincy, Illinois, the director, a friend, asked him to speak with two girls who were about to turn 18 and be turned out of state care. Talking with those girls, victims of gang rape and incest, made him reconsider his position on the subject. He says, "I still oppose abortion and would try my best to convince any woman in my family to carry the baby to term. But I believe that ultimately the decision must be made by the woman, her doctor, her family, and her conscience."[23]

Darfur

On March 2, 2005, then-Senator
Jon Corzine presented the
Darfur Peace and Accountability Act (S. 495) to the Senate. Durbin was one of 40 senators who co-sponsored that bill. The Darfur Accountability Act is noted as the premier legislative attempt to instill peace in Darfur. The bill also asks that all people involved in or deemed in some way responsible for the genocide in Darfur to be denied visas and entrance to the U.S.

In 2006, Durbin co-sponsored the Durbin-Leahy Amendment to the Supplemental Appropriations bill for emergency funding to instill peace in Darfur. In 2006, he also co-sponsored the Lieberman Resolution, and the Clinton Amendment.

On June 7, 2007, Durbin introduced the Sudan Disclosure Enforcement Act, which as "[a]imed at enhancing the U.S. Government's ability to impose penalties on violators of U.S. sanctions against Sudan." The bill called for the
U.S. Security Council to vote on sanctions against the Sudanese Government for the
genocide in Darfur.

Durbin has voted in favor of all Darfur-related legislation. In addition to the Darfur Peace and Accountability Act, he also supported the Civilian Protection No-Fly Zone Act, the Hybrid Force Resolution, and the Sudan Divestment Authorization Act.

Guantanamo Bay

Durbin has openly compared the U.S. treatment of prisoners at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base to the atrocities committed by "Nazis, Soviets in their gulags, or some mad regime -- Pol Pot or others -- that had no concern for human beings." Demands that he apologize were initially rebuffed,[24] however Durbin later apologized to the military for the 2005 remarks, which he admitted were "a very poor choice of words."[25]

Gun law

Durbin sent a letter to Attorney General
Jeff Sessions in May 2017 asking for support in expanding the
Chicago Police Department's violence prevention programs by expanding access to the Strategic Decision Support Centers and the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network. He also asked the
Justice Department to support the Stop Illegal Trafficking in Firearms Act, which would stop illegal state-to-state gun trafficking.[27]

HIV/AIDS

In March 2007, Durbin introduced the African Health Capacity Investment Act of 2007 to the Senate. The bill was designed so that over a three-year period, the U.S. would supply over $600 million to help create safer medical facilities and working conditions, and the recruitment and training of doctors from all over North America.

In December 2007, Durbin and two other senators co-sponsored Senator
John Kerry's Nondiscrimination in Travel and Immigration Act. Also, in March 2007, he joined thirty-two other senators to co-sponsor the Early Treatment for HIV Act of 2007.

On September 29, 2002, Durbin held a news conference in Chicago to announce that "absent dramatic changes" in the resolution, he would vote against the resolution authorizing war on Iraq.[33] On October 2, 2002, at the first high-profile Chicago anti-Iraq War rally in
Federal Plaza, he repeated his promise to oppose the resolution in a letter read during the rally.[34]

On October 10, 2002, the U.S. Senate failed to pass Durbin's amendment to the resolution to strike "the continuing threat posed by Iraq" and insert "an imminent threat posed by Iraq's weapons of mass destruction", by a 30-70 vote, with most Democratic senators voting for the amendment, but with 21 joining all 49 Republican senators voting against it.[35] On October 11, 2002, Durbin was one of 23 senators to vote against the joint resolution authorizing the Iraq War.[36]

On April 25, 2007, Durbin said that as an intelligence committee member he knew in 2002 from
classified information that the American people were being misled by the Bush Administration into a war on Iraq, but he could not reveal this because, as an intelligence committee member, he was sworn to secrecy.[37] This revelation prompted an online
attack ad against Durbin by the
National Republican Senatorial Committee.[38]

Fair Sentencing Act

Immigration

Durbin is the chief proponent for the
Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act, a piece of proposed federal legislation. This bill would provide certain students who entered or were brought to the nation illegally with the opportunity to earn conditional permanent residency if they arrived in the US as children, graduated from a US high school, have been in the country continuously for at least five years prior to the bill's enactment, submit biometric data, pass a criminal background check, and complete two years toward a four-year degree from an accredited university or complete at least two years in the military within a five-year period. Durbin's leadership on this issue was recognized in 2013, when the Immigrant Legal Resource Center presented him with the inaugural Nancy Pelosi Award for Immigration & Civil Rights Policy.[40]

On January 28, 2013, Durbin was a member of a bi-partisan group of eight Senators which announced principles for comprehensive
immigration reform (CIR).[41]

In July 2018, Durbin said Homeland Security Secretary
Kirstjen Nielsen should resign over the
Trump administration family separation policy. He argued it "is and was a cruel policy inconsistent with the bedrock values of the nation," adding someone "in this administration has to accept responsibility." Tyler Houlton, a DHS spokesman, replied through Twitter that "obstructionists in Congress should get to work".[42]

Tobacco regulation

In 1987, Durbin introduced major tobacco regulation legislation in the House. This bill was to ban cigarette smoking on airline flights of two hours or less. He was joined by Rep. C.W. Bill Young (R-FL), in saying that the rights of smokers to smoke end where their smoking affects the health and safety of others, such as on airplanes. The bill went on to pass as part of the 1988 transportation spending bill. In 1989, Congress banned cigarette smoking on all domestic airline flights.[43]

In March 1994, Durbin proposed an amendment to the Improving America's Schools Act that required schools receiving Federal drug prevention money to teach elementary and secondary students about the dangers of tobacco, drugs, and alcohol. The amendment also required schools to warn students against tobacco and teach them how to resist peer pressure to smoke.[44]

In February 2008, Durbin called on Congress to support a measure that would allow the Food and Drug Administration to oversee the tobacco industry. This measure would require companies to disclose the contents of tobacco products, restrict advertising and promotions, and it would mandate the removal of harmful ingredients in tobacco products. The measure would also prohibit tobacco companies from using terms like "low risk," "light," and "mild" on packaging.

Durbin attributes his stance against tobacco smoking to his father, who smoked two packs of Camel cigarettes a day and died of lung cancer.

Russia

Durbin spearheaded a nonbinding resolution in July 2018 "warning President Trump not to let the Russian government question diplomats and other officials". The resolution states the United States "should refuse to make available any current or former diplomat, civil servant, political appointee, law enforcement official or member of the Armed Forces of the United States for questioning by the government of
Vladimir Putin". It passed 98-0.[45]

In December 2018, after
United States Secretary of StateMike Pompeo announced the Trump administration was suspending its obligations in the
Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty in 60 days in the event that Russia continued to violate the treaty, Durbin was one of 26 senators to sign a letter expressing concern over the administration "now abandoning generations of bipartisan U.S. leadership around the paired goals of reducing the global role and number of nuclear weapons and ensuring strategic stability with America's nuclear-armed adversaries" and calling on President Trump to continue arms negotiations.[46]

Freedom of expression

In 2007, speaking as Senate Majority Whip, Durbin went on record as stating that "It’s time to reinstitute the
Fairness Doctrine."[47]

In 2010, Durbin cosponsored and passed from committee the Combating Online Infringement and Counterfeits Act, a bill aiming to combat media piracy by blacklisting websites though many opposed to the bill argue that it violates
First Amendment rights and promotes censorship.[48][49] The announcement of the bill was followed by a wave of protest from digital rights activists, including the
Electronic Frontier Foundation calling it censorship and stating that action may be taken against all users of sites in which only some users are uploading infringing material.[50]

Financial crisis of 2007–2010

On April 27, 2009, in an interview with
WJJG talk radio host
Ray Hanania, Durbin accused banks of creating the
financial crisis of 2007–2010. Durbin expressed a belief that many of the banks responsible for creating the crisis "own the place," referring to the power wielded by the
banking lobby on Capitol Hill.[52]

On September 18, 2008, Durbin attended a closed meeting with congressional leaders, then-Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, and was urged to craft legislation to help financially troubled banks. That same day (trade effective the next day), Durbin sold mutual-fund shares worth $42,696, and reinvested it all with Warren Buffett.[53]

On February 26, 2009, Durbin introduced the Protecting Consumers from Unreasonable Credit Rates Act of 2009, calling for a maximum annual interest rate cap of 36%, including all interest and fees.[54] This bill was intended to put an end to predatory lending activities.

Rod Blagojevich

Shortly after Governor
Rod Blagojevich's arrest on federal corruption charges on December 9, 2008, Durbin called for the Illinois legislature to quickly pass legislation for a special election to fill then President-elect
Barack Obama's vacant Senate seat.[55] He stated that no
United States Senate appointment of Blagojevich's could produce a credible replacement under the circumstances.[56]

Durbin and Senate Majority Leader
Harry Reid led all 50 members of the
Senate Democratic Caucus in writing Illinois Governor Blagojevich to urge him to resign and not name a successor to Obama following Blagojevich's arrest.[57]

Trade

In January 2005, Durbin changed his longstanding position on sugar
tariffs and
price supports. After several years of voting to keep sugar
quotas and price supports, Durbin now favors abolishing the program. "The sugar program depended on congressmen like me from states that grew corn," Durbin said, referring to the fact that, though they were formerly a single entity, the sugar market and the
corn syrup market are now largely separate.[58]

In May 2006, Durbin campaigned to maintain a $0.54 per gallon tariff on imported
ethanol. Durbin justified the tariff by joining
Barack Obama in stating that "ethanol imports are neither necessary nor a practical response to current gasoline prices," arguing instead that domestic ethanol production is sufficient and expanding.[59] The American Coalition for Ethanol gave him a rating of 100%.[citation needed]

Other positions

Durbin has also been a major proponent of expanded
Amtrak funding and support. In October 2007, he opposed a bill in the
Illinois General Assembly that would allow three casinos to be built, saying, "I really, really think we ought to stop and catch our breath and say, 'Is this the future of Illinois? That every time we want to do something we'll just build more casinos?'"[61]

Durbin reintroduced the
Fair Elections Now Act during the 112th Congress. The bill would provide public funds to candidates who do not take political donations larger than $100 from any donor.[62]

In April 2013, Durbin chaired a hearing in the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Human Rights concerning the moral, legal and constitutional issues surrounding
targeted killings and the use of
drones. Durbin stated, "Many in the national security community are concerned that we may undermine our counter-terrorism efforts if we do not carefully measure the benefits and costs of targeted killing."[63]

In June 2015, Durbin sent a letter to the prime minister of Ukraine, Arseniy Yatsinuk, about fully supporting of Yatsinuk's efforts of governing.[citation needed]

When you read some of the graphic descriptions of what has occurred here – I almost hesitate to put them in the record, and yet they have to be added to this debate. Let me read to you what one FBI agent saw. And I quote from his report:

On a couple of occasions, I entered interview rooms to find a detainee chained hand and foot in a fetal position to the floor, with no chair, food or water. Most times they urinated or defecated on themselves, and had been left there for 18–24 hours or more. On one occasion, the air conditioning had been turned down so far and the temperature was so cold in the room, that the barefooted detainee was shaking with cold.... On another occasion, the [air conditioner] had been turned off, making the temperature in the unventilated room well over 100 degrees. The detainee was almost unconscious on the floor, with a pile of hair next to him. He had apparently been literally pulling his hair out throughout the night. On another occasion, not only was the temperature unbearably hot, but extremely loud rap music was being played in the room, and had been since the day before, with the detainee chained hand and foot in the fetal position on the tile floor.

If I read this to you and did not tell you that it was an FBI agent describing what Americans had done to prisoners in their control, you would most certainly believe this must have been done by
Nazis,
Soviets in their
gulags, or some mad regime –
Pol Pot or others – that had no concern for human beings. Sadly, that is not the case. This was the action of Americans in the treatment of their prisoners.[64]

Durbin's comments drew widespread criticism that comparing U.S. actions to such regimes insulted the United States and victims of
genocide. Radio host
Rush Limbaugh and White House deputy chief of staff
Karl Rove accused Durbin of
treason,[65] while former Speaker of the House
Newt Gingrich called on the Senate to censure Durbin.[66] Chicago Mayor
Richard Daley, whose son Patrick was serving in U.S. Army, also called on Durbin to apologize for his remarks, saying that he thought it was a "disgrace to say that any man or woman in the military would act like that."[67] John Wertheim, Democratic state party chairman of New Mexico, and Jim Pederson, Arizona Democratic party chairman, also criticized Durbin's remarks.[68] The leader of the
Veterans of Foreign Wars also demanded an apology,[69] as did the
Anti-Defamation League[67]

Durbin initially did not apologize, but on June 21, 2005, he went before the Senate, saying, "More than most people, a senator lives by his words ... occasionally words fail us, occasionally we will fail words."[70]

Attempts to remove PAC radio advertisements

In July 2014, Americas PAC, a
Political Action Committee designed to elect conservative Republicans, released a radio advertisement attacking Durbin on his staff salaries.[74] This was based upon a Washington Times article that stated Durbin's female staff members made $11,000 less annually than his male staffers.[75] In response, lawyers representing Durbin submitted a letter claiming the information in the ad was false and that the radio stations would be liable for airing the ad, with the possibility of losing their FCC license.[76] The radio station stated the sources provided to back up the information provided by Americas PAC were checked and proved to be in line and that they would keep the radio advertisement on air.[77]

Personal life

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Family

Durbin and his wife Loretta have had three children, Christine, Jennifer and Paul. After several weeks in the hospital with complications due to a
congenital heart condition, Christine died on November 1, 2008.[79]

Conflict of Interest Issues

Durbin's wife Loretta was a lobbyist, and it was reported by the Chicago Tribune in 2014 that some of her "clients have received federal funding promoted by [Durbin]".[80] In addition to announcing the award of monies to ten clients of his wife's lobbying firm, these conflicts included her lobbying firm receiving a one-year contract with a housing nonprofit group around the time the senator went to bat for the organization; a state university receiving funds through an earmark by Durbin when his wife was its lobbyist; and Durbin arranging federal money for a public health nonprofit when his wife was seeking state support for the same group.[80][25] The Durbins maintain that they try to avoid conflicts of interest, however.[80]

Religion

Dick Durbin is Roman Catholic. In 2004, the
Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield in Illinois barred him from receiving communion because he voted against the
Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act. The current bishop of the Diocese said Durbin stays away from his Springfield parish because "he doesn't want to make a scene."[81] Durbin responded to the communion ban in 2004 saying that he is accountable to his constituents, even if it means defying Church teachings.[82] In 2018, the decision to deny Durbin communion in the Springfield Diocese was affirmed by Bishop
Thomas John Paprocki after Durbin's vote against the
Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act.[83] Durbin continues to practice his faith, attending mass and receiving communion at Old Saint Patrick's church in Chicago.[82]

In 2017, Durbin was criticized by the editorial board at his alma mater, Georgetown, a Catholic university, for his requesting a clarification of then-judicial nominee
Amy Coney Barrett during her Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing, regarding her self-descriptive terminology, "orthodox Catholic." He contended that might unfairly characterize Catholics who may not agree with the church's positions about abortion or the death penalty. She contended, "litigants and the general public are entitled to impartial justice, and that may be something that a judge who is heedful of ecclesiastical pronouncements cannot dispense." Barrett opined that judges aren't bound by precedent conflicting with the Constitution.[84] Barrett wrote that judges could recuse themselves from hearing matters if their faith conflicted with issues to be decided in cases they might otherwise hear.[85] A article in the conservative National Review contended, "Senators must inquire about these issues when considering lifetime appointments because ensuring impartiality and fidelity to precedent are critical for the rule of law."[84][86] The issue prompted questions regarding the application of
Article VI, Section 3 of the
Constitution which mandates: "No
religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States."[87]